


The Shore Leave Garrus Wants to Forget

by elfgirl931



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-19
Updated: 2014-06-19
Packaged: 2018-02-05 08:28:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1811896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elfgirl931/pseuds/elfgirl931
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Garrus asks Tali to hang out at their next shore leave. One thing after another goes wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Shore Leave Garrus Wants to Forget

“… so you know, if you’re not doing anything else, we could walk around a bit on the Citadel. Stretch our legs, if nothing else. I know this great little cafe that serves dextro food exclusively.” Garrus struggled to keep his voice casual without quite knowing why. Tali was his squadmate, a friend even, and there was no reason to act like a fumbling adolescent just to ask her to walk around with him. As friends.

She tilted her head a bit, and he could tell that she was smiling through her mask. “That sounds great, Garrus. I didn’t have any particular plans tomorrow. It would be nice to have some company. As long as we can stop by Kanala Exports and see if they have any new shotguns, that is.”

“It’s a deal. I’ll meet you on the docking bay after we land.” He waved goodbye and strolled out of the engineering deck, only letting out his deep breath when the elevator doors opened. Spirits, I do not feel giddy. This is ridiculous.

When the Normandy finally docked the next day cycle, Garrus thought he might have bitten off more than he could chew, as Shepard liked to say sometimes. When he’d talked to Tali last night, he hadn’t foreseen just how nervous the prospect of spending one-on-one time with her would make him. He had to conclude that he was feeling something more than friendship towards her, which complicated things quite a bit. And if she thought this was some sort of date….

“Spirits,” he muttered for the third time, wishing he had a gun. At least then he wouldn’t be standing like an idiot outside the airlock, his hands hanging uselessly at his sides. The rest of the crew had already disembarked and headed down the elevators. He wondered if Tali was even coming.

Just when he thought he wanted to give up and leave, the Normandy’s doors hissed open and Tali out. “Sorry I’m late, Garrus. I had to repair my suit before I could leave.”

“Is it something serious?” he asked as they headed towards the elevator.

“Not at all. It happens from time to time, especially if I get clumsy. The Normandy has a lot of sharp edges, and even if I don’t rupture the suit completely, I have to make sure any fraying gets sealed.”

“I thought Quarian suits were resistant to ripping,” Garrus commented as he pushed the button for Nasara Ward.

“Of course they are. But as I said, I get clumsy and - “

The elevator had only traveled a few hundred feet when it jerked downwards violently, throwing Tali and Garrus off of their feet. It made a terrible screeching sound before grinding to a halt completely, and a red light began to flash through the compartment.

“Please remain calm,” a VI’s voice intoned coolly. “Your elevator has experienced a malfunction and help is on the way.”

“Wonderful,” Tali groaned. “Garrus, can you please get your legs off of me? You weigh a ton.”

Garrus answered with a grunt, awkwardly trying to maneuver himself from off of his back. When he bent his knees, there was a loud ripping sound from under them.

“… Keelah,” Tali muttered into the ensuing silence. “Your spur ripped my suit.”

Please let her be joking, Garrus thought feverishly as he sat up all the way. A large gash ripped across the purple patterned cloth of her leg, exposing pale skin. “Tali…let me see it, maybe I have some omni-gel,” he babbled, his hands hovering over the gash but not daring to touch it.

She waved him off, already punching commands into her omni tool. “Stay calm. You didn’t pierce the skin, I’m not going to die immediately. I probably need to get back to see Dr. Chakwas pretty soon, though.” She looked up at him from her position on the floor, and her voice took on an amused tone. “Stop wringing your hands, Garrus. See if you can call maintenance and get them to hurry up.”

Garrus placed a few calls, including one to Shepard, which seemed to speed up the process considerably. They only sat for an hour before a crew got the elevator moving, then back in the Normandy, Chakwas and Tali managed to get things patched up more quickly than they thought. Since they had been in a relatively sterile space, no contaminants had managed to get into Tali’s suit, and the doctor declared her safe to take her shore leave for the rest of the day.

“No hard feelings, Garrus,” Tali said. “Doctor Chakwas has a surprising knowledge of Quarian biology. I’m perfectly all right, and my suit is good as new.” She tilted her head a bit and he thought she might be smiling again. “I’m still up for that dextro cafe, if you are.”

They took a different elevator to Nasera Ward this time, chatting animatedly about new shotguns and arguing about upgrades to their omni tools. Neither of them knew that the latest dextro food shipment to their particular cafe had been partially mixed up with a levo food shipment, and both were in for a long night with Chakwas and treatment for food poisoning.


End file.
